URGENT PROBLEM: BOOT_DEVICE_INACCESSABLE

Has the hard drive you are using ever worked before?
Is this an IDE hard disk and if so is the the master or slave or is it set to cable select?  Has the computer ever booted with w2k installed?

Has the hard drive you are using ever worked before?
Is this an IDE hard disk and if so is the the master or slave or is it set to cable select?  Has the computer ever booted with w2k installed?

Try turning off plug and play in the bios.

This could be the problem.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q254769

Is the hard drive a maxtor drive?

Stop 0x0000007B or INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE

This Stop message, also known as Stop 0x7B, indicates that Windows 2000 lost access to the system partition during the startup process. This error always occurs while the system is starting and cannot be debugged because it generally occurs before the operating system has loaded the debugger.

Interpreting the Message

The four parameters listed in the message are defined in order of appearance as follows:

Address of a Unicode string data structure representing the Advanced RISC Computing (ARC) specification name of the device from which the startup was being attempted
Pointer to ARC name string in memory
(zero)
(zero)
The first parameter typically contains two separate pieces of data. For example, if the parameter is 0x00800020, 0x0020 is the actual length of the Unicode string and 0x0080 is the maximum name string length. The next parameter contains the address of the buffer. This address is in system space, so the high-order bit is set.

If the file system that is supposed to read the boot device failed to initialize or simply did not recognize the data on the boot device as a file system structure, the following parameter definition applies:

Address of the device object that could not be mounted
(zero)
(zero)
(zero)
The value of the first argument determines whether the argument is a pointer to an ARC name string (ARC names are a generic method of identifying devices within the ARC environment) or a device object, because a Unicode string never has an odd number of bytes, and a device object always has a Type code of 0003.

Resolving the Problem

Failed boot device. During I/O system initialization, the boot device driver might have failed to initialize the boot device (typically a hard disk). File system initialization might have failed because it did not recognize the data on the boot device.

Also, repartitioning the system partition or installing a new SCSI adapter or disk controller might induce this error. If this happens, the Boot.ini file must be edited.

Incompatible disk hardware. If the error occurred at the initial setup of the system, the system might have been installed on an unsupported disk or SCSI controller. Some controllers are supported only by drivers that are in the Windows Driver Library (WDL), which requires the user to do a custom installation. If Setup autodetected the controller, you might need to skip detection and use a specific manufacturer's diskette to load the driver. Also, check the availability of updates for the system BIOS and SCSI controller firmware. Updates of this kind are typically available on the Web site or BBS of the hardware manufacturer.

Remove any recently added hardware, especially hard disks or controllers, to see if the error is resolved. If the offending piece of hardware was a hard disk, the disk firmware version might be incompatible with Windows 2000. Contact the manufacturer for updates. If the removal of another piece of hardware resolved the error, IRQ or I/O port conflicts likely exist. Reconfigure the new device according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Confirm that all hard disks, hard disk controllers, and SCSI adapters are listed on the Microsoft Windows 2000 Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). For more information about the HCL, see "Additional Resources" at the end of this chapter.

If a driver was recently added, restart your computer, and press F8 at the character-mode menu that displays the operating system choices. At the resulting Windows 2000 Advanced Options menu, choose the Last Known Good Configuration option. This option is most effective when only one driver or service is added at a time.

In addition, check your computer for viruses using any up-to-date, commercial virus scanning software that examines the Master Boot Record of the hard disk. All Windows 2000 file systems can be infected by viruses.

This error can also be a result of hard disk corruption. Run Chkdsk /f /r on the system partition. You must restart the system before the disk scan begins. If you cannot start the system due to the error, use the Recovery Console and run Chkdsk /r.


Warning
If your system partition is formatted with the FAT file system, the long file names used by Windows 2000 can be damaged if Scandisk or another MS-DOS-based hard disk tool is used to verify the integrity of your hard disk from an MS-DOS prompt. (An MS-DOS prompt is typically derived from a MS-DOS startup disk or from starting MS-DOS on a multiboot system.) Always use the Windows 2000 version of Chkdsk on Windows 2000 disks.

If your system has SCSI adapters, contact the adapter manufacturer to obtain updated Windows 2000 drivers. Try disabling sync negotiation in the SCSI BIOS, checking the cabling and the SCSI IDs of each device, and confirming proper termination. For EIDE devices, define the onboard EIDE port as Primary only. Also check each EIDE device for the proper master/slave/stand alone setting. Try removing all EIDE devices except for hard disks. Finally, check the System Log in Event Viewer for additional error messages that might help pinpoint the device or driver that is causing the error.

Microsoft periodically releases a package of product improvements and problem resolutions for Windows 2000 called a Service Pack. Because many problems are resolved by installing the latest Service Pack, it is recommended that all users install them as they become available. To check which Service Pack, if any, is installed on your system, click Start, click Run, type winver, and then press ENTER. The About Windows 2000 dialog box displays the Windows version number and the version number of the Service Pack, if one has been installed.

Occasionally, remedies to specific problems are developed after the release of a Service Pack. These remedies are called hotfixes. Microsoft does not recommend that you install a post-Service Pack hotfix unless the specific problem it addresses has been encountered. Service Packs include all of the hotfixes released since the release of the previous Service Pack. The status of hotfix installations is not indicated in the About Windows 2000 dialog box.

Note
In order to install the latest Service Pack, you might need to install a second, parallel copy of Windows 2000, and then install the latest Service Pack to the new installation, and finally copy updated files to the original installation folders.

For more troubleshooting information about the 0x7B Stop message, refer to the Microsoft Support Web site, using the keywords winnt and 0x0000007B.

Is the hard drive a maxtor drive?

Another one to look at.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q271274

i've never had Win2K on this harddrive but i've had Linux and Win98 on it for months. It's a WD60GB 7200RPM IDE100. It's the primary master.

I read the post. This is a new installation. Could you put in your own words the top few choices to try to eliminate this problem?

it is the Stop error

Another one to look at.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q271274

Oops I forgot the link where I got the info from.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/prodtechnol/windows2000pro/reskit/part7/proch33.asp


Also try sripping all your hardware from the machine leaving yourself with a mouse, keyboard, 1 CD Drive, 1 Hard drive, Floppy drive, 1 video card.

Also you may need to update the BIOS.

Check Hardware and Software Compatibility
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/server/howtobuy/upgrading/compat/default.asp

Also this

Note: If you are installing an ATA 100 hard drive. Please read the following information. If your drive is setup for ATA 66 or ATA 33 then you can skip this section.

Windows 2000 by default does not support ATA 100 data transfer rates. Microsoft has added support for ATA 100 in Windows 2000 with the release of Service Pack2. This can be installed once Windows 2000 is loaded on the hard drive. If you are experiencing any issues during Windows installation, disable UDMA mode in the system BIOS. Once the installation is complete and you have installed Service Pack 2, enable UDMA again.

I found this on the western digital web site.

I am having problems installing Windows 2000 on my new WD drive and I get "stop" errors.
 
  Question
  I am having problems installing Windows 2000 on my new Western Digital hard drive. I am getting "stop" errors and the install is telling me that the hard drive is corrupt.
 
  Answer
  Systems with a VIA-based chipset may experience this problem. The VIA chipset can cause DMA Conflicts in a Windows 2000 environment. This issue seems to be prevalent on motherboards using the VIA Chipset with the 686 South Bridge. You should disable UDMA in your system's BIOS. This should allow you to get the Operating System (OS) installed without further incident. UDMA can usually be re-enabled once the OS installation is complete.

Note: Once Windows 2000 is completely installed, you can download and install Service Pack 2 from Microsoft. This update resolves the above issue with the VIA chipset. After Service Pack 2 is installed you can re-enable UDMA in your BIOS.

In many cases, before re-enabling UDMA, it is a good idea to update your operating system with the latest VIA 4-in-1-driver update. This can be found at Via Tech or by contacting your motherboard manufacturer.

steinmto good call :)

Thanks

well, i'm happy to say that i'm posting this from IE5.5 on Windows 2000!!! I have an motherboard with an Ali Magik chipset. However the key was disabling UDMA in my BIOS. I have just 2 questions.

*When can i turn this back on (is it only after i get SP2 or higher?)
*who should the points go to? (CrazyOne or steinmto)

Well Stein was the first to mention UDMA - so he actually deserves the points.  Crazy did a great job too -

Yeah I didn't see Stein's post when I made mine about the UDMA. So it is up to you. Points can be split if you want to do that.

>>>*When can i turn this back on (is it only after i get SP2 or higher?)

After SP2

Oh before applying the SP2 do the following because sometimes applying service patches can cause problems and on rare occasions Windows won't reboot.

Start > Run ntbackup

Put a floppy in your floppy drive. Now click on the button "Emergency Repair Disk". Now click on the box "Also backup the registry..." and click the "Ok" button.

Now if you run into problems boot to your Win2000 CD. At the "Welcome to Setup" screen, press F10 or press R to repair, and start the Windows Recovery Console. You will need your admin password to do this so make sure you know what it is.

Then do this

md tmp
copy c:\WINNT\system32\config\system c:\WINNT\tmp\system.bak
copy c:\WINNT\system32\config\software c:\WINNT\tmp\software.bak
copy c:\WINNT\system32\config\sam c:\WINNT\tmp\sam.bak
copy c:\WINNT\system32\config\security c:\WINNT\tmp\security.bak
copy c:\WINNT\system32\config\default c:\WINNT\tmp\default.bak

delete c:\WINNT\system32\config\system
delete c:\WINNT\system32\config\software
delete c:\WINNT\system32\config\sam
delete c:\WINNT\system32\config\security
delete c:\WINNT\system32\config\default

copy c:\WINNT\repair\system c:\WINNT\system32\config\system
copy c:\WINNT\repair\software c:\WINNT\system32\config\software
copy c:\WINNT\repair\sam c:\WINNT\system32\config\sam
copy c:\WINNT\repair\security c:\WINNT\system32\config\security
copy c:\WINNT\repair\default c:\WINNT\system32\config\default

Oops these
copy c:\WINNT\repair\system c:\WINNT\system32\config\system
copy c:\WINNT\repair\software c:\WINNT\system32\config\software
copy c:\WINNT\repair\sam c:\WINNT\system32\config\sam
copy c:\WINNT\repair\security c:\WINNT\system32\config\security
copy c:\WINNT\repair\default c:\WINNT\system32\config\default

Should be
copy c:\WINNT\repair\RegBack\system c:\WINNT\system32\config\system
copy c:\WINNT\repair\RegBack\software c:\WINNT\system32\config\software
copy c:\WINNT\repair\RegBack\sam c:\WINNT\system32\config\sam
copy c:\WINNT\repair\RegBack\security c:\WINNT\system32\config\security
copy c:\WINNT\repair\RegBack\default c:\WINNT\system32\config\default

Good thread.

Yeah now all we need is a needle to sew at all up with. hehehehehe

Hi ggggggggg,

basically in win2k maximum it will support 7.99 GB partitation .
Why dont you you  create the system partitation with 7.99 (MAXimum if it is  less then it will be fine)  and remaining space you can partitation as per your requirement.

And this partitation limitation is in the Widowns NT as well as Windows 2000. Windows XP dosent have this limitation you can make  big system partitation .

Just  create small partitation lesser than 7.99 GB and then installathe Windows 2000 itw ill work without this inaccessible error.

Hope this will help.

RIP

ritupatel I don't know if you read the entire thread or not but qqqqqqqqq has got it up and running now.

thanks everybody. I'm giving the points to steinmto. I will post another 300 point question [later tonight] for CrazyOne. (split of the 600 offered).

On a slightly different topic: I've been using System Commander 7 as my boot manager. It's worked fine until I installed Win2K. I couldn't configure it to boot up Win2K, I tried everything i could find in their help menu but i still had problems. I tried just booting directly to the NTFS partition and now somthing is corrupted. When my computer boots it doesn't load SC. Instead a little menu comes up that asks to type the number of the partition i want to boot. No matter which number I type it fails to load. I was able to use a bootdisk to run fdisk /mbr and then boot in to Windows98. I then disabled SC. Now when I run the SC MBR installer I get this error: Installation Cannot Proceed - Unable to Access Boot Drive. I know this seems really off topic, but I was just wondering if anyone looking at this thread was familiar with this problem. The main reason I posted it here was because i don't know which topic to post it to. An answer would be great (i'd post a points question for the expert who answers) but just a reccomendation of which topic area to post this in woulbe really great!

Note, I will hit the accept button on this question later today.

Thanks All.

Well I never used System Commander 7. One thing with Win2000 it has its own boot loader and supports multiple boots for different OS's. Are there two partitions on this disk? If so is the Win98 on the primary partition C: and the Win2000 on another partition presumably D:. If this is the case then you might completely uninstall System Commander 7. If you can't boot into Win98 then do your fdisk /mbr so you can get into Win98 and then uninstall System Commander 7. Now reboot to your Win2000 CD and then do a Repair. This should renegotiate the Win2000 boot loader and hopefully give you the option to boot to either Win98 or Win2000.

Again I need to stress I don't have any experience with System Commander 7 so I may be way off the mark here. You could post the question in this section https://www.experts-exchange.com/osgen/ which will give you a more generalized coverage since more then one OS is involved.

I don't have the recovery disk. So i can't do an automatic repair. I do have access to the recovery console though. Is there a way to re-activate the boot manager from there?

>>>I don't have the recovery disk

Do you mean you don't have the Win2000 CD or you just don't have the Emergency Repair Disk?

From the Recovery Console you can try this.

FIXMBR C:
FIXBOOT C:

But please read this first. As matter of fact the first two links are about downloading an MS Word doc that has some very useful info on doing repairs.

This is a in depth look at "Repair, Recovery, and Restore"
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/samplechapters/fndc/fndc_rec_uctu.asp
The download is actually MS Word Document with the info
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/samplechapters/fndc/fndc_rec.exe

Here is a description of a couple of repair options.

The following is from the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q238359

BEGIN ARTICLE

Differences Between Manual and Fast Repair in Windows (Q238359)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY
Windows includes two repair choices: Manual Repair or Fast Repair.

To see these choices, boot from the Windows installation media, press R to repair, and then press R to use the Emergency Repair process. When you do this, you see the following options:

Manual Repair: To choose from a list of repair options, press M.

Fast Repair: To perform all repair options, press F.

The two repair choices cause the Repair process to perform different tasks.

MORE INFORMATION
IMPORTANT : Please do not perform a manual or fast repair on a domain controller without specific knowledge of how to back up the Active directory database. If you do these options on a Windows 2000 Server domain controller you run the risk of overwriting the Active directory database at \WINNT\NTDS\ntds.dit.

The Ntds.dit file contains your Active Directory,including user accounts.

Manual Repair
The Manual Repair option provides the following choices:
[X]  Inspect startup environment
[X]  Verify Windows system files
[X]  Inspect Boot Sector<BR/>
     Continue <perform selected tasks>
Inspect Startup Environment
This option checks the ARC path in the boot.ini file for a path to the Windows boot partition and %SystemRoot% folder. It does this by using the Setup.log file on the Emergency Repair disk by reading the following values:
[Paths]
TargetDirectory = "\WINNT"
TargetDevice = "\Device\Harddisk1\Partition1"
SystemPartitionDirectory = "\"
SystemPartition = "\Device\Harddisk1\Partition1"
If the Boot.ini file is missing, a new one is created with a valid ARC path. If the Boot.ini file is present, the ARC path is checked and updated if needed.
Verify Windows System Files
This selection verifies that each file in the Windows system/boot partition is good and matches the files that were originally installed. This includes the Ntldr, Ntdetect.com, Arcsetup.exe, and Arcldr.exe files that are used for booting various computers. The optional Ntbootdd.sys file is never checked. Repair performs this check by using the Setup.log file to compare cyclical redundancy check (CRC) values for each file. If files are missing or corrupted, you are prompted to replace or skip the file. If you choose to replace the file, you need the Windows installation CD-ROM or an OEM driver disk that contains the correct file(s).
Inspect Boot Sector
This option repairs the active system partition boot sector and reinstalls the boot loader functionality. If the partition uses the FAT or FAT32 file system and contains a non-Windows boot sector, this repair option also creates a new Bootsect.dos file to be used to dual-boot MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows 95, or Microsoft Windows 98 if these operating systems were previously available to be booted. If you also select the Inspect Startup Environment option and a new Bootsect.dos file is created, Repair adds the following entry to the Boot.ini file:
C:\ = "Microsoft Windows"
Note that the Manual Repair option does not give you a choice to repair the Windows registry files.
Fast Repair
The Fast Repair option performs all the repairs as the Manual Repair option, but you are not prompted for choices. Additionally the Fast Repair option tries to load each Windows registry file (SAM, SECURITY, SYSTEM, and SOFTWARE). If a registry file is damaged or cannot be loaded, Repair copies the missing or corrupted registry file from the SystemRoot \Repair folder to the SystemRoot \System32\Config folder.

Because the Fast Repair option can replace registry files with those from the SystemRoot \Repair folder, it may revert parts of your operating system configuration back to the time when Windows was first installed. If this occurs, you need to restore your last "system state" backup or manually copy a more recent version of the registry files from the SystemRoot \Repair\Regback folder to the SystemRoot \System32\Config folder by using Recovery Console. The files that are located in the Regback folder are from the last time you created an Emergency Repair Disk and choose the option to also back up the registry files to the repair folder.
General Information
Both the Manual Repair and Fast Repair options start by performing a system/boot partition file system check. If file system problems are detected and corrected during this portion of the Repair process, you may need to restart your computer and start another Repair process before the actual repair operations take place.

Neither of the repair options replaces the SystemRoot \System32\Config.nt or Autoexec.nt files. Although these files are located on the Emergency Repair Disk, they are not checked or replaced during any Repair operations.

For computers without a local CD-ROM drive attached (for example, if Windows was installed by using Remote Installation Service, or RIS), it is possible to repair system files by using one of the methods described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:
Q164471 Replacing System Files Using a Modified Emergency Repair Disk
Q229716 Description of the Windows 2000 Recovery Console

COPYRIGHT NOTICE. Copyright 2002 Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, Washington 98052-6399 U.S.A. All rights reserved.

END ARTICLE

my problem is that i don't have the Emergency Repair Disk. I can't find any downloads either. There must be some generic form of this disk. My hardware is all standard and my installation is normal.

NAW, the ERD is specific to your installation...if you re-install you get another SID, old ERD is then no good to you, must use another...

Still watching...